1.
"U.S. Scrutinized Assets Well Before War; Documents Tell of Cheney
Group's Look at Iraq," The Houston Chronicle, July 19,
2003, at Business 1, by David Ivanovich.

According to documents obtained by public interest group Judicial
Watch through a legal battle under FOIA, Vice President Dick Cheney's
Energy Task Force examined maps of Iraqi oil fields, refineries, and
pipelines in March 2001. Documents also show lists of companies that
were interested in conducting business with Saddam Hussein's Iraq
regime. Other documents show oil and gas projects in Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates.

2.
"Feds Don't Track Airline Watchlist Mishaps," The Associated
Press State & Local Wire, July 24, 2003, at State and Regional,
by David Kravets.

The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) does not keep
track of how many passengers are being subjected to delays because
of confusion over security watchlists. The American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU) obtained documents through FOIA showing that, while names
are added almost daily to the two airline watchlists, the TSA sees
no need to monitor "false positive" situations. The ACLU
has filed a lawsuit to force the government to release the names on
the lists, explain how names are placed on them, and how individuals
can remove their names from them.

The Orlando Sentinel reviewed thousands of hazard-evaluation studies
and malfunction reports obtained through FOIA from all 113 past shuttle
missions revealing critical flaws and the responses to them. Critics
argue that the responses have been inadequate and NASA has ignored
flaws. The problems include the misfiring of explosive bolts used
to attach the shuttle to the launch pad, faulty wiring, fuel leaks,
thruster failures, and foam damage from the external fuel tank.

Extra identification badges have been issued and unaccounted for
at a number of Air Force bases raising concerns about security and
the possibility of improper access to the bases. Documents obtained
by The Deseret Morning News through FOIA show that the Air
Force's own investigation found that 13 bases did not properly control
and monitor ID cards for contractors. Additionally, the documents
show that nearly half of the contractors given access to sensitive
computer systems at one base had not undergone criminal background
checks.

A nonprofit group's report based in part on documents it obtained
through FOIA cites increased incidents of vapor exposure to and physician
visits by workers at a nuclear clean up site. The workers are transferring
radioactive and chemical waste to safer holding tanks to await a more
permanent disposal.

6.
"The Slaughterhouse Gamble: The Risk of Self-Policing; New Safety
Rules Fail to Stop Tainted Meat," The New York Times,
Oct. 10, 2003, at A1, by Melody Petersen and Christopher Drew, Bud Hazelkorn
contributed to this report.

Meat inspectors' reports obtained through FOIA from the Food Safety
and Inspection Service indicate the presence of contaminants on food
as it is processed at meatpacking plants, even after it has gone through
the plant's safety processes. Inspectors also reported several cases
in which meat that had been condemned because of disease or contamination
was not marked or clearly removed from production. In one example,
an inspector ordered meat not to be shipped after finding out that
cuts of meat condemned the previous day had been readied for shipment.
Additionally, the article concludes that inspector's reports and recommendations
to take action often go unheeded.

Documents obtained through FOIA by The Dayton Daily News
show the dangers that Peace Corps volunteers face. The information
from 1991-2002, including never-before-released statistics, shows
that volunteers are frequently placed in dangerous situations, substandard
housing, and with little training. Volunteers are increasingly victims
of robbery, sexual assault, and murder.

Evidence gathered from documents obtained from the Department of
Justice through FOIA helped overturn a conviction of a former CIA
operative, Edwin Wilson. The operative had been convicted of arms
dealing with Libya, but claimed that the activities were part of his
cover. The documents show that officials with the CIA and the Justice
Department knew that Wilson had extended high-level relationships
with CIA officials during the period of the arms dealing, but denied
this in court. "'In the course of American justice,' the judge
in the case wrote, 'one would have to work hard to conceive of a more
fundamentally unfair process with a consequentially unreliable result
than the fabrication of false data by the government, under oath by
a government official, presented knowingly by the prosecutor in the
courtroom with the express approval of his superiors in Washington.'"

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) ordered the
city of Houston to suspend a housing-assistance program for poor-quality
work and overpayment to contractors. The Houston Chronicle obtained
documents through FOIA that show HUD inspections turned up numerous
problems with homes that had been worked on as part of the Houston
program. Among the problems HUD cited were poor work quality, incomplete
work, and discrepancies in the estimated amount of materials and those
actually used. Homeowners, also complained of negative attitudes among
workers and contractors and lack of information provided about equipment
and warranties.

Nevada state officials have raised concerns regarding the possibility
of an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction inside the planned Yucca
Mountain nuclear waste repository. The state obtained documents through
FOIA that report on such possibilities and appear to contradict Department
of Energy statistics in its final impact statement.

11.
"A Flawed Terrorist Yardstick; The Justice Dept. Tally of More
Than 280 Suspects Detained for Prosecution After Sept. 11 Is Inflated
with Dismissed and Unrelated Cases," The Los Angeles Times,
Dec. 1, 2003, at A1, by Richard B. Schmitt.

The Los Angeles Times conducted a review of documents obtained
from the Department of Justice through FOIA concerning the Department's
statistics of prosecutions related to terrorism since September 11,
2001. The review found instances of individuals who were arrested,
found not to have any terrorist links, and not prosecuted. Yet, these
individuals were still part of the statistics the Department of Justice
cites as terrorism-related charges when commenting on the progress
of its anti-terrorism efforts.

The Oregonian obtained documents under FOIA that raise questions
about possible conflicts of interest of a private management company
hired by the Bureau of Land Management. The company was hired to develop
management options for one of the largest public landscapes in Oregon,
including handling public comments. Officials of the company, however,
also hold positions in the mining industry, some having made comments
opposed to public involvement in land management decisions.

13.
"Stealth Merger: Drug Companies and Government Medical Research;
Some of the National Institutes of Health's Top Scientists Are Also
Collecting Paychecks and Stock Options from Biomedical Firms. Increasingly,
Such Deals Are Kept Secret," The Los Angeles Times, Dec.
7, 2003, at A1, by David Willman.

The Los Angeles Times conducted an investigation of payments
from drug companies to employees of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) and the agency's research collaborations with the industry.
Documents obtained from the NIH under FOIA showed that researchers
and scientists receive consulting fees and stock options from biomedical
companies. The NIH allows the majority of its officials to keep such
income confidential and does not require that it be reported in financial
disclosures. The practices raise ethical concerns regarding whether
those incomes will affect researchers' decisions regarding the safety
of subject patients, public health, and the interpretation of study
results.

The York Daily Record obtained reports and notes from the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission through FOIA that detail the response
of officials to a threat on a nuclear reactor. The materials describe
the timeline and response of plant, state, and federal agencies and
officials to a purported threat to one of the reactors at Three Mile
Island in Pennsylvania. The threat did not turn out to be credible.
The chronology has been used to improve and coordinate a response
to future threats.

The Powder River Basin has large natural gas deposits of great interest
to energy companies. As a result of environmental concerns and pressure,
a moratorium on development was imposed in 1999. The Bureau of Land
Management conducted an environmental impact statement to determine
what impact the increasing drilling would have on the river basin.
A local Wyoming environmental group learned through a FOIA request
that the study was conducted by an environmental consultant that also
writes permit applications for companies seeking to drill in the basin.
Critics challenge the impartiality of the report and the comprehensiveness
of the environmental options it examined.

Documents obtained by the National Security Archive through FOIA
from the Department of State show that the U.S. approved of the Argentine
military junta's use of harsh tactics against leftists in the 1970s.
The document shows that Secretary of State Kissinger gave the green
light to the Argentine foreign minister to hurry up and finish the
military's "dirty war" - which resulted in the deaths and
disappearances of 30,000 people from 1975 to 1983. Previously, Kissinger
and other top aides denied condoning the human rights abuses in Argentina.

Documents obtained though FOIA show that the Bush administration's
move to let coal miners continue the practice of "mountaintop
removal" ignored environmental concerns raised by government
officials. The coal mining process levels mountain tops and discards
the leftover rock into valleys and streams. The administration revised
a previous draft environmental impact study that examined limiting
the process, and substituted three alternative approaches. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service said these alternatives do not improve environmental
protection. The documents include a memo from Deputy Interior Secretary
J. Steven Griles recommending a new draft, directing officials to
say that he was not involved in "finalizing the document,"
and information on how to respond to questions about his involvement
in the change.

A number of environmental interest groups have filed suit against
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for meeting with a group
of chemical companies behind closed doors. Documents obtained under
FOIA show that the pesticide industry group has met privately with
EPA officials at the same time that it has urged the agency to dilute
protections for Northwest salmon and other endangered species. The
environmental groups claim that such closed-door meetings violate
federal law requiring agency meetings with advisory groups to be open
to the public.

Documents obtained under FOIA by the Electronic Privacy Information
Center (EPIC) show that Northwest supplied information on millions
of its passengers who flew from October to December 2001. Northwest
supplied the information, without passenger knowledge, to NASA for
a project on aviation security. Northwest had previously denied any
information sharing after another airline, JetBlue, acknowledged that
it had turned over passenger information to a defense contractor.

Experts argue that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) underestimates
the risk of mad cow disease outbreaks. The USDA argues that the risk
is very low, citing a Harvard University study. The comments of scientists
critical of the Harvard study were not released by the USDA until
The Denver Post filed FOIA requests seeking them. The critics
cite unrealistic assumptions and incorrect mathematical models in
determining the risk of a mad cow disease outbreak in the U.S.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) had been warned for 15 years about
the dangers of holding intoxicated students at its Chemawa Indian
School, a boarding school in Salem, Oregon. The Oregonian obtained
documents through FOIA that show that BIA officials failed to act
on repeated warnings by Indian Health Service officials regarding
the school's "holding cells," citing the lack of supervision
and availability of medical treatment. A sixteen year old girl recently
died in one of the cells due to alcohol poisoning.

NASA documents obtained through a FOIA request by a San Antonio television
station show that the agency has lost about $34 million in government
property since 1997. The information details the missing items from
each of the agency's ten centers. The Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, MD, had the highest losses at $16.8 million, while NASA's
Washington, D.C., headquarters had the least with $174,000.

23.
"Seeing Murder in a Face; A Family Refuses to Believe a Battered
Prisoner Hanged Himself, as Officials Say. The U.S. Government Has Reopened
the Case," The Los Angeles Times, Mar. 9, 2004, at A1,
by Richard A. Serrano.

The Department of Justice reopened the investigation into the death
of an inmate in an Oklahoma federal prison nine years after the incident.
Originally, the death was ruled a suicide. However, the family of
the inmate refused to believe that explanation in light of the various
bruises and wounds found on his body. As a result of a FOIA request,
the family learned of an erased videotape, that the inmate's cell
was cleaned prior to the arrival of the FBI, inconsistent statements
from prison guards, and forensic evidence apparently inconsistent
with the official explanation.

24.
"Review: Director of Aging Agency Earned Nearly $460,000 in 2003,"
The Associated Press State & Local Wire, Mar. 24, 2004, at State
and Regional, by Michelle Saxton.

The director of a West Virginia County Council on Aging is being
investigated for his nearly $460,000 salary and sick leave payouts.
The Associated Press obtained state investigation documents through
a FOIA request. The documents show that the official was paid far
more than counterparts in other counties and that he took steps to
adjust the composition of the Council's board to remove outside agency
representation and consolidate record-keeping and financial responsibilities.

25.
"D.C. Knew of Lead Problems in 2002; Timing of E-Mails Contradicts
Claims," The Washington Post, Mar. 29, 2004, at A1, by
Carol D. Leonnig and David Nakamura.

Documents obtained by The Washington Post through a FOIA
request show that District of Columbia officials knew of unsafe levels
of lead in the city's water 15 months before the public learned of
the problem. The D.C. Department of Health maintained that they did
not know of the problem until early 2004. However, e-mails between
the Department of Health and the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority indicate
that the Department was aware of the contamination in October 2002.

A New York immigration lawyer has raised questions about U.S. organizations'
funding for groups in opposition to Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez.
Documents she requested through FOIA show that several Venezuelan
groups associated with the government's opposition have received funding
from the National Endowment for Democracy, a federally funded private
organization. The endowment provides grants to nongovernmental organizations
that strengthen democratic institutions. The leaders of two groups
the endowment has funded served in the opposition's cabinet when Mr.
Chávez was briefly ousted in 2002, a coup that the White House
initially endorsed. A third group that has received funding has helped
a recall petition of Mr. Chávez by collecting signatures.

The U.S. Public Information Research Group (PIRG) obtained documents
through FOIA from the Environmental Protection Agency that show more
than 60 percent of industrial and municipal facilities nationwide
exceeded their Clean Water Act permit limits at least once. During
the eighteen month period beginning January 2002, the average facility
exceeded their permit limit by 600 percent.

28.
"GI Sex Cases from Iraq Often Stall; Army Records Show Prosecution
Rare, Reprimands from Officers Common," The Denver Post,
Apr. 12, 2004, at A1, by Miles Moffeit.

Army documents obtained through FOIA by The Denver Post
show that soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan accused of sex crimes are
given light administrative punishments. Military commanders have broad
discretion in how to deal with accused soldiers and it is up to them
to recommend criminal prosecution. The documents show that soldiers
often receive demotions in rank, fines, or discharge - or no punishment
at all - even when investigations have not been fully completed. Of
thirty-seven accusation cases from February to December 2003, four
were court-martialed - and only two of those resulted in convictions.

The Associated Press obtained documents through the FOIA showing
a two year effort of Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell's (R-CO) office
to speed up funding for a technology project in Colorado. The documents
show that Campbell secured funding for a computer networking project
by an Oregon company, Thinkstream, for use by agencies of the Rocky
Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and then urged the Office
of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to award the funding directly
to a Colorado sheriff's department to circumvent the bidding process.
When, after a visit to Thinkstream, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Area's board suggested opening up the project to bidding, a letter
with Campbell's signature scolded the board for not going ahead with
the project. Campbell has claimed he did not sign the letter and his
office has since asked for a Senate Ethics Committee investigation
to look into whether a staffer improperly used his signature to lobby
the board.

According to internal documents obtained by the Natural Resources
Defense Council through FOIA, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) gave the rodenticide industry broad access to its regulation
decision making. Beginning in August 1998, the EPA concluded that
rat poison posed a significant risk to children and animals. As a
result, the agency called for two new safeguards in the formulation
of rat poison. By 2001, however, the EPA had abandoned the new regulations,
citing "mutual agreement" with the industry. The documents
show that the industry was given broad access to revise EPA documents
describing the environmental impact of rat poison on wildlife. The
review, which was termed "error only," lasted 15 months
during which time consumer and environmental groups were not consulted.

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) accused a former Head
Start chapter head, and now Department of Health and Human Services
official, of misconduct during her tenure in Texas. NHSA claims that
documents obtained under FOIA show that $140,000 in overbilling occurred
under the official's watch, as well as unauthorized bonuses and a
vacation time payout.

32.
"Pentagon Ban on Pictures of Dead Troops Is Broken," The
New York Times, Apr., 23 2004, at A14, Bill Carter, by Jim Rutenberg
and Mindy Sink contributed reporting for this article.

Russ Kick, who operates the website the Memory Hole, obtained photographs
of flag-covered coffins of deceased soldiers returning from Iraq through
the FOIA. Initially, Kick's request was denied by the Air Force but,
upon appeal, 361 photographs were released to him. The release broke
a ban that the Pentagon had issued prohibiting media coverage of arriving
coffins. An employee of a defense contractor and her husband were
fired when she released a photo of flag-draped coffins she had taken
while on a military transport plane. News organizations were unaware
that such photographs even existed - unaware the Pentagon was continuing
to take pictures for historical purposes. These organizations have
argued that the release of such photos should be allowed as part of
the national dialogue on the Iraq war. Polls have also shown that
public support favors release of such photos.

33.
"Navy Confirms Weapons Facility Was Temporarily Decertified,"
The Associated Press State & Local Wire, Apr. 24, 2004, at State
and Regional.

A local Washington state newspaper, The Bremerton Sun, confirmed
an incident at a local Navy submarine facility where a nuclear missile
was mishandled. The paper received an e-mail from its FOIA request
that described the reassignment of officers in charge of the facility
and the facility's decertification to handle nuclear weapons for more
than two months.

Security on Campus, a watchdog group, obtained a report from the
Department of Education through the FOIA that shows that Salem International
University faces up to $385,000 in fines for failing to report campus
crime as required by federal law. The report indicates that the university's
campus security failed in many respects, including the reporting of
sexual offenses and under-reporting incidents. Mount St. Clare College
in Iowa is the only other school that has been fined under the twelve
year old Jeanne Clery Act.

Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union through
FOIA show that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) attempted
to use the controversial section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. The provision
allows the FBI to seek court permission to secretly review confidential
materials - such as business, doctor, university or library records
- without the knowledge of the target of the investigation. Previously,
Attorney General John Ashcroft has denied any usage of section 215.

The Environmental Working Group obtained documents from the Department
of Agriculture through FOIA that detail Alabamians who would receive
tobacco buyouts under a current proposal in Congress. The Environmental
Working Group opposes the planned buyout because the group sees it
as a benefit to large tobacco growers and companies. The group's study
says that two-thirds of the $9.6 billion buyout would go to only ten
percent of growers, with more than eighty percent of those eligible
receiving less than $1,000 a year over five years.

37.
"Growing Tobacco, and Controversy; Students Cultivate a Crop They're
Taught to Avoid," The Washington Post, June 26, 2004,
at A1, by Manuel Roig-Franzia.

The Washington Post obtained documents from the Department
of Agriculture through FOIA that shows that 41 school districts -
in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia - grew almost 50,000
pounds of tobacco in 2003. The schools use tobacco quotas that came
with purchased land to grow tobacco as a means of teaching agriculture
and as a source of revenue. The practice raises questions about the
propriety of schools collecting revenue from tobacco and whether it
undermines efforts at anti-smoking health prevention.

38.
"White House Help Sought on N-dump," The Salt Lake Tribune,
June 28, 2004, at A1, by Robert Gehrke.

Documents obtained by the Natural Resources Defense Council's FOIA
lawsuit against Vice President Dick Cheney show that a Utah company
asked for help from Mr. Cheney's Energy Task Force. Private Fuel Storage,
seeking to build a nuclear waste storage facility on the Skull Valley
Goshute Indian Reservation in Utah, sent a letter asking the Task
Force to urge the Defense Department to complete a study necessary
for the company to gain final approval of the project. The letter
appeared to prompt a meeting between Deputy Interior Secretary J.
Steven Griles and the company's lobbyist. The Task Force also sent
a letter to the Department of the Interior inquiring what was needed
to move forward with approval of the project.